


Should Have Known

by orphan_account



Series: Nightmares [2]
Category: jacksepticeye
Genre: Angst, Coma, F/M, Jacksepticeye egos, References to Depression, References to anxiety, chase is sad, references to past suicide
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2019-05-19 02:03:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14864567
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When Jack created Anti he didn't expect him to be so powerful.Jack should have known not to make him angry. He should have known not to let his guard down, but he did. Now the others are fighting for their lives in a battle that could determine the fate of their entire existence.





	1. Chapter 1

"Guys! Get in here!" Jack's excited voice echoed throughout the house. He bounced on the balls of his feet, an enthusiastic smile growing on his face. Jackie who sprinted down the hall was the first to arrive at the room. Next was Marvin who poofedbehind the hero a moment later. Finally, Henrik strolled down the hall chuckling softly with a smile on his face.

"Have you called us down here for vat I sink you have?" Henrik asked, obviously trying to hold back a laugh.

Jack just smirked, "Maybe." He looked around, "Is Chase back yet?" 

"No, not yet." Jackie answered. 

Marvin pursed his lips, "Poor dude. I hope everything's going okay."

"Well, I can show it to him when he gets back," Jack waved the others into his recording room. They all file in and stand behind the desk while Jack slides into his chair and pulls up a video, "So you remember how Mark and I filmed something when I was in LA recently?" They all nod, "He finally finished editing it and uploaded it about an hour ago."

Henrik shook his head, "I saw zis. Jack, are you sure zat vas a smart sing to do?"

He shrugged, "Eh, he's always yelling at me anyway. What's he gonna do, kill me again?"

"He has zee ability." The doctor frowns, "And stitching a neck back together may be easy, but making sure you survive isn't." Henrik scolds.

Marvin rolled his eyes, "Let's just see the damn video. I'm interested in seeing what it is."

Henrik steps away, "I'll pass, I have vork to do anyvay."

"Aw come on man! You're always working." Jackie pouted.

"Someone has to be zee responsible one around here." Henrik turned and left the room, heading upstairs to his office. The room was neat, unlike most of the other rooms in the house. He stared begrudgingly at the tall stack of papers on his desk. He knew it would take him a long time to finish. The doctor turned on the small radio sitting on his desk and soft jazz floats through the air. He plopped into the chair, and grabbing a pen, took the first paper off the stack.

 

The soft sizzle of frying food was usually a comforting sound to the magician. No matter how hard things got, or how bad a show went, cooking was his escape. The aroma of a brewing stew or baking cookies always helped Marvin relax. Except for now. He felt uneasy, like something horrible had just happened. Yet, nothing had. Everything was fine, but he couldn't shake the uncomfortable feeling snaking up his body.

In the distance, the front door opened. Chase was home. Marvin turned his attention back to the stove where a few chicken breasts were frying. He flipped them over and grabbed another pot from a cupboard. He opened another cupboard with his magic and pulled a few more things out of it.

The rest of the meal didn't take long to finish, and before long the table was set with six plates that smelled delectable. Or so Jackie claimed. It was a struggle to get Jack out of his recording room, but Signe and Jackie managed to coax him out to eat with the rest of them. Henrik joined shortly after. Eventually, the only one missing was Chase.

"I'll go get him." Henrik offered, scooting away from the table. 

Marvin forced him to sit down with his magic and stood up himself, "Eat, Hen. I'll go see if he's coming." The doctor's protests fell on deaf ears as the magician climbed the stairs and knocked on Chase's door. "Hey, dinner's ready if you wanna come down."

The father's reply was muffled, "Not right now, Marv."

"Oh, okay. Um..." He bit his lip, "Do you at least want me to bring you your plate?"

A pause, "I guess. I just... don't want to face people yet."

Marvin winced, "That bad, huh?" No response, "Alright, I'll be back in a sec." Marvin descended the stairs and grabbed Chase's plate from the table.

"Is he not coming down?" Singe asked.

"No. I don't think today went well at all." Marvin balances the plate on his palm like a waiter. 

Jack sighed, "That sucks." The others nod and mumble their agreement.

The magician brings the plate upstairs and pauses at the door. He waves his hand over the food, casting a small spell on it. He knocks on the door, "I brought your food. I'll just leave it outside for you." A muffled thanks comes from inside the room. "You're welcome, and hey, if you wanna talk about it, we'll be here." He returns to the table to enjoy his own dinner.

 

Chase made no move to get off his bed after he heard Marvin's footsteps fade. He had no plans of actually eating the food that was brought to him at first, but decided that he may as well eat a little something. Even if it is just so the others don't worry as much. He pushes himself to his feet and trudges to the door. On the floor was a impeccable plate of chicken and greens. Marvin had outdone himself again. He shut himself in his room and set the plate off to the side. While laying down, he caught a glimpse of the disheveled suit.

The custody battle could _not_ have gone worse. Stacy had made a whole show of how unstable he was and completely exaggerated the situation with his nightmares from earlier that year. Thankfully, she didn't bring up the incident. Mainly because she had yet to even learn about it. To no one's surprise, she'd gotten custody of Sam and Grey. He was allowed to see them once a month, maybe twice if he got better. Chase had almost laughed at that. _Better?_ Did the judge even understand what was going through his head. He wasn't even allowed to say _hello_ to them.

 _It's not like you were fit to be their father anyway._  His thoughts had run rampant all day. Anxieties chasing away any hope that may remain in his mind. 

He looks at the clock, 9:43, then at the food on his side table. His stomach growled and it was then he realized that he hadn't eaten since breakfast. The plate was still warm when he pulled it onto his lap. How long had it been since Marvin had brought it up? Taking a bite he realized that the magician must have spelled it to keep it warm. The small thought was a comfort to Chase. That even in this cold, selfish world, there was someone out there who cared.

It didn't take him long to finish the food and he debates over whether or not he should return the dishes to the kitchen. Eventually he decided that he'll just take them down the next morning and the silverware and plate are discarded to his bedside table. Chase collapsed against his bed. 

He tried to not think about the day, but it was impossible. The dejected look on Grey's face haunted the father. He'd disappointed his son. He'd disappointed everyone. 

He drifted in and out of sleep until he found himself in an impossibly familiar place. The long, red-tinted nightmare of horror laid in front of him. It was silent and he didn't have his lighter, but there was also no figure in the doorway. Somehow this was more unsettling than when he was there. Luckily, Chase wasn't there for long and he awoke in a cold sweat not long after. Outside, the distant sound of a siren blared in the quiet night. It wasn't an uncommon sound so he brushed it off and laid back down, falling asleep once more.


	2. Chapter 2

Cold water splashed up Jack's arms as he brought his hands under the running water. Recording had taken a lot longer than he had hoped and it was quite late. After 3:00 if he remembered correctly. The house was completely dark save for the soft light coming from under Henrik's office door. He had probably fallen asleep doing paperwork again. He sighed and dried his hands. There had been a lot of tension today with Chase fighting for custody of his children. He knew what the outcome was, as did the rest of the egos. Chase wouldn't be so upset if it hadn't been.

It was Jack's fault. He was the one who caused Chase to be this way. If he hadn't put _that_ in the video, everything might be different. It might be better. Guilt snaked up his body, forming a pit in his stomach.

Jack splashed a bit of water on his face and looked up at himself in the mirror. He gasped and stumbled back in shock. In the mirror, he was replaced by a unfortunately recognizable figure. Anti laughed at his surprise, "I͢t͟ ͠reall̨y͢ i͘s̛ al͞l y͡o҉ur f̧au̡l͠t.͠?͛͞" Jack didn't answer. "Y̕o̢u ̕kno͜w ҉i̷t͝ i͘s ̕so ̢wh̷y͝ ͝don̷'͟t ̵you͠ say ̛it?͜ S͡A͟Y҉ ̴̡I̷͢T̶͟!"

He swallowed, "I-it's my fault." He angles his eyes down to avoid looking at the mirror. But his head is violently yanked back up to face his demon. Jack swivels his head around looking for whatever it was that forced his head up. He finds nothing.

"W͡hat͠ di͢d̴ ̢y̕o͝u ͝thįnk̛ ͞you̢ ̴we͘re doi̴ng? ̕Y̕ou c̵ertainly kne͘w̢ h̴e was̢ ͢going̷ ͜t͢o b̢e ͘on҉e͟ ͟o̸f̵ u̢s.̷" Anti pointed his knife at his creator.

Jack stammered, "I-I don't know. I-I didn't think-"

"O̡f҉ cou̡rs̵e you di͢dn̛'t.̵ D͝o̕ yo̕u҉ e̸v̸e͝r?" The demon snarled, "I͢ ou͘ght to t͘each҉ ͏yo̶u a les͝son s͝inc̸e ̢n̴o̸n̡e ̸of͠ the ͢other͏s̵ a̛re̡ ̧brav͝e ͜e͘n͝ough."

Jack summoned what little courage he had left. He opened his mouth to speak, but instead a cry of pain. His torso felt like was on fire; his brain felt like it was melting. "What... are you doing?" Jack chokes out. Another wave of pain shoots through him and he doubles over. He thinks he might be screaming, but he can't hear anything. Just the maniacal laugh of the creature in the mirror. Jack falls to his knees. His hands fly to cover his ears to block out the laughter. That doesn't help. It continues to bounce through his head. The door slams open and he can hear voices drifting in, but they're all muffled. The world swims and, slowly, fades to black.

 

 

Henrik's eyes blinked open. He looked around his office in confusion. What had woken him up? Nothing in the room was making noise save for the tall grandfather clock in the back corner. Then he heard it: screaming coming from out in the hall. The doctor scrambled to his feet and threw open the door. His head snapped back and forth trying to find the source of the sound in his half awake state. First, he assumed Jackie or Chase was having another nightmare. Then, he realized the bathroom light a few rooms down was on.  _That_ was where the cries were coming from.

The doctor took a step in the room's direction, but someone flew past him faster than humanly possible. It threw him off balance and he tumbled to the floor. The person, who was now recognizable as Marvin, skidded to a halt at the door and threw it open. Henrik pushed himself to his feet. Marvin's face paled as he gazed inside.  He murmured something and stepped into the room. Henrik followed. He gasped in horror.

There, on the floor, was Jack. Writhing with his hands covering his ears. He was shrieking, obviously in pain. Henrik fell to his knees beside the man, "Jack, Jack! Can you hear me?"

Marvin kneels beside him, "What's happening?" He asked the doctor.

"Zat is vat I am trying to figure out!" He placed his hands on Jack's torso, feeling for any open wounds. "Go call an ambulance. I can help him better at zee hospital." He ordered the magician.

Marvin protested, "But-" 

"Now!" Henrik snapped. Marvin stared at him wide eyed for a moment, then scurries off. The doctor continues his examination of Jack's body, looking for physical wounds. Jack's screams had finally stopped, but now he was unconscious. Whether from pain or something else, Henrik couldn't tell.

"Henrik!" Jackie appeared in the doorway with Signe at his side. Both looked terrified.

"What's going on?" Signe asked, her arms crossed tightly over her chest. Her eyes landed on Jack and her hand flew to cover her mouth, "Oh my god."

The doctor bit his lip, "I do not know. Marvin is calling an ambulance for Jack right now. I can help him better from zee hospital." He repeats.

Jackie and Signe exchange a look. The hero's gaze returned to Jack and he pointed to his face, "What the hell's happening to his eyes?" Bloody tears ran down the man's cheeks.

"Vat the fuck?" Henrik hardly had time to process what was happening before Marvin flew back into the room. "You called?" Marvin nods, out of breath. "Good. Let's get him to zee foyer so vee can get him out easier." He looks at Jackie who seemed to understand what the doctor wanted. The hero steps between Marvin and Henrik and gently lifts Jack into his arms. Marvin and Signe follow Jackie downstairs. Henrik stayed behind for a moment. Something seemed off. He reached out his hand and gently brushes his finger tips over the glass of the mirror. He couldn't detect anything unusual, so he turned his back to it. Right as he was about to rejoin the others, a malevolent laugh fills the air. 

 

 

Signe watched as Jackie laid his creator's body down on the bench near the entrance. She sat next to him and wiped the blood off his cheeks. Now they waited. Marvin leaned against the wall and began muttering an incantation. His hands lit up with a gentle green light as he spoke. She wasn't sure what spell he was casting, but she hoped it was helpful. Henrik came down the stairs a moment later. He cast a glance at the magician, but didn't say a word. Signe watched him as he chanted. The lights in his hands changing hues of green as he spoke. He reached his hand out towards Henrik and Jackie and a glamour spell covered over their true appearances. He then put his hand to his chest and disguised himself. None of them looked remarkably different, but it was enough that it would keep people from questioning why there were three non-related, identical looking people at the house.

She looked at the clock on the wall, 3:45. Her leg bounced impatiently. Jack's unconscious face seemed almost peaceful, but she couldn't imagine what he was going through. She had an unfortunate idea of who could be causing this. Signe cleared her throat, "Do-do you think it could be Anti causing this?" She brushed a lock of hair out of his face.

"Unfortunately yes." The doctor spit, venom lacing his words, "It is most likely that stupid demon. Vat he has done to Jack however, vee vill find out soon." As if on cue, sirens appeared in the distance and a few moments later an ambulance was in front of the house. Jackie elected to stay behind in case Chase woke up, Signe would accompany Henrik with Jack in the ambulance, and Marvin decided he would regroup with them at the hospital.

The ride seemed to stretch minutes into hours, yet eventually they arrived at the hospital and Jack was rushed to the emergency room. Signe was led to a waiting room where Marvin was anxiously waiting. The two sat in an uncomfortable silence. Marvin wrung his hands nervously. After a while he had to put his gloves on to keep the sparks coming from his hands contained. Signe restlessly bounced her leg, glancing between the clock and her watch for the time.

Around 5:30, they were finally ushered into a room where Jack was hooked too all sorts of machinery. An unfamiliar doctor stepped into the room behind them. She shut the door. "Let me introduce myself, I'm Dr. Cathy Worns. As I can imagine, you two are very worried about your friend." She gives them a look of pity, "But I can't console you, unfortunately."

"What's wrong with him?" Signe blurted out, her anxiety raising by the second. She stepped towards the doctor, but Marvin caught her hand before she could get far.

The doctor pushes her lips in a sorry smile, "Many of his organ systems are failing. We have him on life support right now, but if he doesn't start recovering soon we may have to put him into a coma to give his body a chance to heal itself."

Marvin swallowed, "What would happen if you didn't put him in a coma? Would he die?"

"That seems like the most likely outcome. Per his own request, Dr. Henrik Schneeplestien will be taking care of Mr. McLoughlin. He's changing his clothes currently." She flips through pages on her clipboard, "I understand the two were close." Neither of them have the heart to respond so they both just nod. She sets the clipboard down on a table, "I'll give you three some alone time." She exits the room.

The two crowd around the bed. Signe takes her boyfriend's limp hand and brings it up to her lips, "Jack, if you can hear me, please come back to us. You can't give in to him. Stay strong."


	3. Chapter 3

"That's about all we know so far." Marvin's light blue holographic form flickered, "Signe hasn't left his side yet, not that I blame her." He crossed his arms over his chest.

Jackie ran a hand down his face, "Is he stable at least?"

The magician scrunched one side of his face, "Eh, sort of I guess. I tried to read the reports the doctor wrote, but between medical jargon and doctor handwriting I could't understand a thing." This earned a soft chuckle from the hero. The holograph flicked again and Jackie groaned. He reached across the kitchen table for a box of tools. He picked out a few and pulled the machine closer to him. Opening the back he fiddled with a few wires. After moving a few around, he closed it again. 

"That should do it." He returns the tools to the box. 

"What was wrong with it?" The magician asked.

"Kept flickering, more than it's supposed to anyway." Jackie answered. He wrung his hands nervously, "It reminded me too much of... you know."

Marvin smiled slightly, "I understand. Hey, uh, have you heard anything from Chase?"

Jackie looked down at his hands, "Not yet, but I'll let you know when I do." Suddenly, he hears footsteps behind him. He spins around to see a disheveled Chase trudging down the stairs, "Well, speak of the devil." Chase raised his hand in a weak wave. 

"Mornin'" He mumbled, dumping his dishes from the previous night night into the sink. Marvin and Jackie say their hellos, but he seemed to ignore them, more focused on reaching into a cabinet and pulling out a mug. Jackie tried to keep from wincing when he saw the writing on it:  _ World's #1 Dad.  _ Chase, however, didn't seem to notice, instead getting himself a cup of coffee. The father sips at his dirty beans. He slowly seemed to perk up and finally meets the hero's eyes. Chase narrowed his own seeing the worry in Jackie's. "Did something happen, or are you worried just about me?" Jackie hated that he was so easily able to tell what others were feeling. Must be a fatherly thing.

He slouched back in his seat, exhaling long and hard, "Jack's in the hospital." Chase bit his lip, but didn't reply allowing Jackie to continue, "Anti seems to be attacking his physical body this time instead of his mind, and Henrik decided that he could help him better there." He looked down at his hands.

"They're going to put him in a coma if he doesn't start to recover soon." Marvin's voice rose and fell which annoyed Jackie even more, but he didn't bother to fix the problem, "That could either turn to be great, or horrible."

"Damn..." Chase set himself in the chair opposite Jackie. They all sit in silence for a few minutes. "I had another one of those dreams last night." He finally says. Two pairs of eyes rested on Chase. All of the egos knew of his dreams. He was the first to truly see Anti outside of a video. He motioned his hand, urging him to continue. Chase squeezed his eyes shut as if in pain, "It wasn't like the others though. I didn't have my lighter. Anti also wasn't there. At all. There were no whispers, no screams, nothing. Just me and that damn hallway."

Marvin and Jackie exchanged concerned glances, worried about what this meant. After another minute of silence, the magician bid them farewell, as he wanted to return to the room to check on Jack. This left the two alone. Neither Chase nor Jackie spoke, both too wrapped in their thoughts and emotions to express anything. Jackie rested his eyes on Chase, who wasn't paying attention to him, and he finally realized how tired the man looked. Dark bags had formed under his eyes and his hair stuck up in abnormal directions. His skin, even though normally pale, looked ghostly. You could see all of the veins in his arms.

After a while, Chase finally spoke, "We should do something."

"Like what?" Jackie frowned.

"I don't know..." He leaned on to the table and rested his head in his palm, "We could record something. Who's going to run the channel if Jack isn't there?" 

Jackie blinked in surprise. That definitely had not been what he'd expected, "I mean... yeah. We could do that." He paused. He should give Chase this. If he wants to do it then they should do it. "No, we  _ should _ do that." Jackie mentally kicked himself for being so awkward.

It was Chase's turn to be surprised now, "Really? I was just throwing that out there." 

The hero nods and plasters a smile on his face. They needed some positivity right now, even if it wasn't real, "Yeah! Someone needs to do it, right? And we both have some experience."

"Alright... let's do it!" Chase smiled, but Jackie could see the sadness in his eyes. Whatever happened yesterday was really taking a toll on the father. He watched as Chase gently dropped his mug into the sink and headed to the recording room. His shoulders were slouched more than normal. The hero pinches the bridge of his nose and follows after Chase. 

 

_ Slam!  _ The door behind Marvin crashed against the door frame. He threw his mask to the side, not bothering to care where it lands. Of course tonight was the night the journalists were coming. The night when nothing seemed to be going right. Jack’s condition had only worsened during the day and Henrik was starting to worry that even putting him into a coma wouldn’t help. The magician collapsed into a chair and laid his head on the counter. He was excessively grateful that he had a private dressing room.

A knock came from the door. Marvin groans, “Who’s there?”

“It’s Connor.” A muted voice sounds from outside. “The press wishes to speak with you. I think they want to interview you!”

He put his head in his palms, “Can you tell them to go away.”

“Already tried that. They won’t take no for an answer.” 

“Fine.” Marvin pushed himself to his feet. He stumbled towards the door, grabbing his mask as he opened it. Connor walked with him to the lobby where multiple journalists were waiting to take a bite out of the magician. He was instantly overwhelmed with cameras and questions from all sides. Annoyed, he channeled his frustration and snapped his fingers. The resulting blackout caused the reporters to shriek in terror. Another snap and the lights turned back on. They all looked terrified, and somehow that made Marvin feel a little bit better. 

“H-how, did you do that?” A wide eyed young man stammers in fright.

Marvin smiled, “A magician never reveals his secrets, surely you know that.”

The man nodded and recomposes himself. Immediately after, the reporters hound him with questions about the show, about him, about his personal life. He tried to keep his answers as vague as possible. 

After a while, they seemed to run out of questions and one by one they departed. Eventually, all but one was left. A short, older man stood in front of him trying to make himself seem taller. Marvin rolled his eyes at him, “Ask your questions, or leave, buddy. I’ve got stuff to do.” 

The man glared at him, “Are you always this rude to people, or just reporters?”

Marvin rubbed his forehead, “Look, pal, I’ve had a rough day. A shit ton of personal stuff went down last night and I am purly running on spite. I really do not want to deal with people like you tonight.” 

The man huffed, spun on his heel, and stormed out. As we was leaving, Marvin waved a hand at him, casting a hex that he would definitely feel in the morning. He pivoted around, ignoring Connor’s advice on how he shouldn’t have been so rude to the man. He didn’t care. The magician shut himself into his dressing room. 

Taped to the mirror, was a small picture. Marvin gently took it off and gingerly holds it. The photo shows an image from a few months ago when they moved to Brighton. Jack, Signe, Jackie, Chase, Henrik, and Marvin all smiling on the beach.  A pit forms in his stomach. They looked so happy. He lets the picture float onto the counter. Everything had come crashing down so fast. He toppled to the floor, burying his face in his hands. He wills himself to stay calm, stay the same grumpy, stoic man everyone knew him as. This would  _ not _ get the best of him. He would just be playing into Anti’s hands then. A weak puppet. He would not fall into his hands even if it cost him his life.


	4. Chapter 4

Chase hated hospitals with a passion. They reminded him of too many bad memories. Maybe his hatred was the reason he was here right now. His dreams had become strange recently, almost like they weren't dreams at all. He knew that he was asleep and dreaming, but he was still dreaming. He'd spoken to Marvin about it the day before, but the magician just shrugged and said something about lucid dreaming. Chase knew it couldn't be that though. He wasn't controlling any part of his dreams, merely watching them unfold like a story. It was almost like he was watching things he shouldn't be seeing.

In this dream, if you could call it that, he was in Jack's hospital room. It was the same as it always had been. Jack was laying in the bed, silent and unmoving. Chase knew he wasn't boisterous as he normally was, but it made him uneasy to see him like that. The room itself was unlit by any lights, not even the florescent ones on the ceiling. There was almost no sign of life anywhere in the room. The small beeps from the heart monitor were the only noise to be heard. 

Behind him, the curtains were quickly drawn open and soft moonlight spilled into the room. Chase twisted around to see Henrik standing in front of the window. He looked nervous. The father couldn't blame him. There was so much weight on his shoulders to help their friend, their creator. But it looked like he was bothered by something else. The doctor suddenly spun around, eyes wide. He looked around the room and found nothing of interest. Suspicious, he slowly turned back to the window. Only a moment later, he whipped around again . "Who's zere?" He called into the room, "I demand you show yourselve. If zis is a prank, it is not funny." Henrik looked scared, and Chase realized this was the first time he'd ever seen him so panicked. Chase stepped back in horror as a figure glitched behind the doctor. A knife was pressed against his throat. He drew in a sharp breath, "A-anti."

The demon smiled, "Di̸d i͢t̴ ta͜ke ̨y͜o͟u̧ t̨ha̴t̢ ͝long to ̴re͟cǫgnize ̸m̛e̢? ͏T͝ha̡t͡'s s̴a̡d, eve̷n for ͘y̸ou͢." Henrik tried to struggle against the demon, but his grip only tightened. 

Henrik swallowed hard, "Vh-vhat do you vant, glitch bitch?" He closed his eyes in regret as soon as the words were out of his mouth. 

Anti's smile turned into a sour frown and he shoved Henrik to the floor. Chase had to scramble out of the way to avoid them. He didn't know what would happen if he intervened, and he didn't really want to find out. The doctor crawled backwards, but Anti shoved a foot to his chest to pin him to the ground. He leaned down and pushed his knife against the doctor's chest, "You͡ s̕ho̢u̶ld̡n't ha͡vȩ sai͞d ţhat̛.͠" He growled.

"And you should ansver my question." His voice was firm, unrelenting. He was prepared to fight even though he knew he couldn't win. Henrik's stone cold eyes met Anti's pitch black ones. They bore into each other other for a long moment.

The demon laughed. It was a horrible sound and Chase had to cover his ears to block it out. Of course, that didn't help at all. It echoed through his head like a ping-pong ball, "Y͢o͡ų thi͡nk ̶you're͏ so c̸l͘e҉ver.̸ We͞l̢l҉,͜ ̴t҉haţ'ş wh͡at ̵he thoug͠ht ͢t̸oo!̶" He jumped up and pointed at Jack with his knife, "Y͞ơu ̴a̢ll͜ arę a͡ll the ̧s͝am̵e̸. A̸ctin̨g a̴l͜l b͝ra͘v҉e, ͟b҉u̷t̛ i͡n ̕r̕e͠a̸lit̶y͟, y̢ou're̸ n̵otḩin҉g ̷but a cowe͠r͠i̧n̢g̴ ͟ḩeap ̨a̡f͘ra̛i̡d ̴of ͞w҉h͜a͘t҉ I'͜m g͟o҉in͜g̸ to ̴d҉o ̸ne̵x͏t͢." He turns his head to Chase and grins, as if he knows he's there. Chase had the terrible thought that maybe Anti was the reason for these weird dreams. That just made him all the more terrified for what was to come.

Henrik pushed back up to his feet, "Vhy are you here, Anti. Zere is nosing for you. Leave us alone." He ordered, masking the fear Chase knew he had. He was stalling, Chase realized. But for what?

Anti turns back to face him, that stupid grin on his face, "Ơh҉ ̶d̶octor͞, i̴f ̶onl̡y th͡at̨ were ̕t̕r̸ue҉.T͠he͜r̢e ͞is so ͠mu̕ch̨ ̷f̸or m҉e here̷ an҉d I'̷m̴ ̢g̸oi̷n҉g t̵o t̵ake i̧t͟ a̵ll̛. S̷̷t͟͟ą̕r̢t̡͞i̡n̛͡g͘ ͏͠w̕it͏ḩ̨ ̨͞y̴̡̕o҉u̡͘.̷͟" Anti lunged at the doctor. Chase threw himself out of the way and into Jack's bed. To his surprise, he passed right through it like he was a ghost. "Y̷o͞ų ̡c҉o͠u̡ld̸n҉'͘t ͜hel͠p̶ Jac͢k ev͜e͏n i͡f̷ ̸you҉ ̶tri͘ed̴.͠ ̛My̛ h͠o͟l͟d ҉o͞n him̵ is too͞ s͞tron̵g̷. ͡I w̕i͝ll͘ win̡ ou̡r ̵fi̸ght even̴t̡u͟all͠y."

"Zen I vill do everysing in my pover to delay you." Chase got to his feet just in time to see Henrik land a blow to Anti's face. He couldn't help but cheer. Anti, however, was not pleased. He kicked Henrik's legs out from under him. Henrik was fast though and sprung back up. 

"I̛'m t̛ir̨eḑ of͞ pla͜yi͝n͜g̕ gam̢e͝s͝,̵ ̢d͟oc̢t͜or.̸ ͠G̴ive̷ in.̶" Anti glared. 

"Never." Henrik moved into a fighting stance. He raised his fists in front of his face. Anti lunged again, slashing for his throat. They went back and forth, trading stabs for punches. To Chase's surprise, Henrik managed to land a few more blows. But nothing seemed to stop him. Eventually, Anti pinned him to the wall.

"Th̶is̕ is͜ wher͜e ̡i͏t̸ ̨en̸d̨s͟,̸ ̢Sc͠hn̴e̸e̸p͞le̕sti̛e̡n͞.͡" He holds his knife up to the doctor's throat. Chase stared in anguish. Henrik had lost and now he was going to be killed for it. "A͢ny l͘as̨t wo͟rd̡s?͢"

Henrik sneered at Anti, "Fuck you." Even when he was about to die, he was still courageous.

Anti threw him to the ground and peered down at the doctor. A horrible smile stretched over his face. "I'm͘ i̧mp̨res͘seḑ wit̸h ͡y̕o̴ur̵ b͟r̴a͝veŗy. S͞ơ ͞I'll̛ g̶iv̵e̴ ͜you ̡a̵ ͟cho͢ic̴e͜. ͏Y̕ou̶ ͝c̨an̢ ͏gi̧ve͝ ̢y̕oųrself ̷t͝o̢ ̛m̛ȩ ͢will͟ingly and ͡be͞cǫm̨e m̶y̧ ͠pu̴p̵pe҉t,͞ ͡a͠n͜d̛ I'͢l͞l ͝ma̛k̴e the ̶p͢a̕i͠n a͜s ͏l͝i͜ttl͡e͞ as po͏s͞si̵ble҉, ̨or̷ yo̡u ̧can r͏ef͏use ̴a͜nd w̢a͝tch a҉s ͢I̕ slow͏ly҉ dr͞i̡v̨e̸ thi͘s̕ kni͢fe͝ into͘ ͝y̕o҉u̕r͟ ̛fr͢a͢g̨il̡e̶ ̸h̡u҉m͘a̕n͟ heart.̸" The father felt sick. He knew what Henrik would choose. The doctor always thought he could survive anything. That was to be his downfall.

"I vill never join you!" Henrik spit. He met the demon's eyes, "Kill me. Zee ozers vill figure it out and zey vill come for you. You'll regret this." Chase wanted to cry out. To stop Anti. 

"No҉t if ̛I͠ g̵et to th͏em fir͟st.̨" Chase watched in dismay as Anti slowly pushed the knife into his friend's chest. Henrik tried to hold on, but eventually he gave in. The screams tearing through the air made Chase sick. Anti seemed to enjoy his cries, as he laughed with a sickening smile on his face. Chase wanted to turn away, but something kept him watching as the demon stabbed his knife into his heart. After what felt like a life time, Henrik's screams stopped and he lay limp. Anti yanked his knife from the doctor's chest, blood seeping through his clothes. "G̵͢͠o̡̕͢o̷d҉̡ ̵̨n͟i̡g͘h̡͏t̶̨͞,͏̷͢ p̶̛u͏p̕p̢͢ęt̛͢͠.̸͡" He turned to face the stunned father. "As͟ for͘ ̸y̶o҉u,͘ d͜on'͠t try an͜yt҉hin҉g stu̵p҉i͞d. ̧Yo҉u͞ ҉k̵n͘ow w̶ha̢t͘ ̶w͏ill͘ h͟ap̛p͟e͠n if yǫu͢ ҉d̢o̷." Chase felt himself nod against his will. He didn't want to agree to anything that monster had to say.

Anti flicked his hand and glowing tendrils wrapped around Henrik's arms and legs. His lifeless body got to its feet and stared blankly. He gaped as the doctor lumbered toward the demon. Blood oozed from his chest. Anti placed a hand onto Henrik's shoulder, "T̵h̢įs ̧i͟s͢n͘'͘t͝ the͢ ҉en͜d͢." He said to Chase, "S̸ęe ͜y̴͘o̡͠u ͏̷҉s̷͠ǫ͢o͢n̶.͢" The two of them disappear with one final glitch. 

Chase stumbled backward into the bed, shaking.  _You didn't even try to help him. You let him die. You let him die. You let him **die.**  _"I couldn't do anything!" he cries to the empty room. He clutches at his hair, "There- there was nothing I could do!"  _Failure. You can't help anybody._ He swallowed hard. He had to get out of here. He had to wake up.  He slaps at his face, pinches at his arms. Trying everything to wake himself up. Suddenly he hears a sound that makes him pause. A horrible blaring sound rings through the room. A sound that split any hope that he had left. "N-no." He whimpered. Jack was flat-lining.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is basically what I had for the original chapter 4, but while writing this one I had a better idea for it. That chapter has since been deleted and this one will replace it. Sorry for any inconvenience.


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